In Tampa Bay, classes start with fewer restrictions

From Weeki Wachee to Wimauma, families and employees are preparing for an almost normal school year.

It is too early to declare schools coronavirus free and it would be unrealistic to expect all traces of the pandemic to be eradicated before classroom doors are opened. While teachers and older children can be vaccinated, the youngest students are susceptible to COVID-19 if they are not already infected.

Despite that reality, school principals in Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties say they are restoring most of the routines students enjoyed before the 2020 pandemic.

Schools and buses will be cleaner thanks to the practices they introduced a year ago when students returned to school.

However, most of the restrictions are lifted so that children can study without the required face covering and enjoy the after-school activities that make school fun.

This includes sports that were severely restricted early last year. “Sporting events will welcome fans at full capacity,” said Isabel Mascareñas, spokeswoman for the Pinellas County School District.

Visitors are also allowed to visit schools, although in some districts they are asked to arrange their visits in advance.

The beginning of the 2020/21 school year was marked by heated arguments about whether a reopening would be possible without the spread of the sometimes fatal COVID-19. School principals worked with medical professionals to mitigate the risk by improving sanitation and introducing social distancing in classrooms and public areas.

The result: almost half of all students who studied remotely at the beginning of the year were relatively modest. Tens of thousands returned to face-to-face tuition in the months that followed. But while some of the largest high schools in the area recorded 100 or more cases over the year, most schools reported much lower numbers.

The total at the end of the year was about 17,000 cases, including adults, in schools with a total population of nearly half a million.

This year, with vaccines available to all adults and children over the age of 12, the fear of contagion has subsided.

Face covering is allowed and encouraged indoors in some districts. But the masks will be strictly voluntary in all schools in the region.

Since schools have stocked up on student masks for the past year, some may offer these masks to students who ask for them.

“We have a supply of masks and other PPE available at every school and on all school buses,” said Tanya Arja, Hillsborough School District spokeswoman.

Schools will use part of the plexiglass shields and other safety equipment they bought last year for social distancing purposes. The shields will stay in Hillsborough’s cafeterias and other public areas, Arja said. Elsewhere, as with the masks, the use of these shields will be voluntary.

Students can expect to socialize and have lunch together. “It was clear to us from the start that social distancing in the school environment was not always feasible,” said Karen Jordan, district spokeswoman for Hernando County.

“However, some of the protocols introduced this year – such as one-way streets – may remain.”

All four districts offered multiple forms of instruction over the past year: traditional classroom instruction, virtual schooling, and a school-based hybrid that allowed children to study at home but on the same schedule as their classmates at school. The hybrid required some teachers to serve virtual students and students in the school at the same time, which proved difficult and aroused resentment among the ranks.

For this year, the districts are largely foregoing school-based virtual lessons and simultaneous lessons. Instead, those families who do not feel ready to send their children to school can use the long-established virtual schools.

Officials said they do not intend to withdraw from the new cleaning protocols in schools or buses.

“The district has also bought additional cleaning tools such as electrostatic cleaners that are still in use,” Jordan said. “And some of the procedures added last year will remain.”

In anticipation of the need for contact tracing, Arja added, “We will continue to instruct bus drivers to keep bus seating plans.”

Hillsborough Superintendent Addison Davis acknowledged that the COVID-19 situation requires flexibility as well as ongoing collaboration with medical experts through and beyond the first day of school.

“From now on, masks are optional,” he said. But “we will continue to monitor this process. If there is a thorn in any way, shape, or shape, we will reconsider whether adjustments need to be made, especially for those who cannot be vaccinated. “

If parents are concerned, they can still send their children to school wearing face covers. “Wearing the mask protects this learner from others,” he said.

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More back-to-school coverage

GOT THE SHOT: Most school districts in the area are sending a strong message to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

LESSONS: The pandemic forced schools to adopt a more digital approach. Much will remain.

HOW WE FEEL: Tampa Bay parents and children talk about the upcoming school year.

DISCOUNT DAYS: This year’s back-to-school tax “vacation” lasts 10 days.

MEET THE PRINCIPLES: Many schools in the area will start the year with new leaders.

DEPLOY: From promotional gifts to festivals, a look at back-to-school events in the area.

ENROLLMENT: There are many steps involved in enrolling a child for the first time. What you need to know

MARK THE DATE: Highlights of the 2021-22 school year in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando Counties.

IN NUMBERS: Tampa Bay’s four public school districts at a glance.

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